CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013 - #1

[tarabull]

The ladder is interesting no doubt about it.

Another view of the tanks...looking at the distance from the roof above the tanks, it doesn't seem it would be a very far jump...???...

This view really shows how far down it is NOT: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/02/20/article-2281485-17DAA3F7000005DC-84_634x437.jpg

But you'd have to climb up the ladder attached to the side of the building with the taller roof beside the tanks - attached ladder visible here:

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.1163263!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_960/image.jpg

 

[Eileen730]

Still way behind... And know poor Elisa has been found deceased... RIP...

but regarding the video... Hope this doesn't bore y'all to tears...

could LE have removed anotherperson from the video...

they may know who it could be... And wants thatperson to come forward...

Maybe they are watching the other person to observe his/her behaviors?

If s/he acts like he is avoiding coming forward... Police may be adding this avoidance to other behaviors for their investigation?

Just some ideas that you all have already hashed out...

P.S. The fact that LE kept that part of the video where the doors open and close repeatedly... (Which reminds me of a Hitchcock type movie... BTW ) then that part of the video must be important for some reason, too!

JMO

I think you could be right! Seems logical to me it also looks as if she is talking to someone outside that elevator by her hand motions!


An M Knight Shyamalan movie!

 

[branwynbreeze]

mollymae, I know the area well, and your assumptions are incorrect.

Homeless people do not live in SRO residency hotels, which is what the majority of this hotel still operates as (the Cecil portion)--the "hip" hostel portion (Stay) which is marketed to foreign tourists is a small portion of the structure, with a separate lobby.

I believe that some rooms at the Cecil are not long-term, but turn over to transient hotel guests. I may have missed it, but do we know what part of the building Miss Lam was staying in?

The hotel's residents are older people on fixed incomes, poor people, some with physical or mental health issues, and yes, probably some people taking methadone to control their opiate addictions, but none of them are by definition homeless because they are long-term residents of the Cecil. These legally mandated affordable housing rooms are very rare and prized due to the gentrification of the neighborhood, which has raised rents in other buildings in the area. A well-run residency hotel won't tolerate sketchy behavior from its tenants, but the Cecil is under new management in the past few years, and I'm not familiar with their policies or abilities.

There are a lot of drugs on Skid Row to the east of Main Street, and many addicted people live on the street. Some of them come into the gentrified residential neighborhood during the day, to panhandle, visit the library, or run errands, but generally the homeless community keeps to itself. There are also a lot of mentally ill people on Skid Row, but these people are far more frequently victimized than they hurt others.

If people were disappearing from the hotel, it wouldn't go unnoticed. The local police are competent and have a lot of community engagement. Maybe an old person with no family could vanish, but if young travelers were going missing, we'd know.

The second tragedy of whatever happened to Miss Lam is that her disappearance was overshadowed by the massive search for Christopher Dorner. It was publicly announced that other police activities were being neglected due to the manpower dedicated to protection and investigation. Maybe if the video had been released earlier, or the whole building searched, or more time dedicated to finding Miss Lam on local newscasts...

True about resident hotel, but about a block away is Crystal Meth Anonymous and buildings housing RSO, most part of Skidrow Housing Trust. In fact there are a rather high number of RSO within walking distance:
http://www.city-data.com/soz/soz-90014.html

These people in area know each other, they are neighbors. I think they could know people at Cecil or work there.

FWIW-thinking out loud

 

[mollymae]

If clothing and flipflops are not in her room, on her body, in the tank or beside the tank... where are they?

Perhaps this was the "obstruction" causing the flooding between the 4th and 5th floor referenced by the 86-year old male resident? If her flip flops were in the water tank, could they have been sucked into the system and become lodged in a pipe?

 

[Dushi]

Perhaps this was the "obstruction" causing the flooding between the 4th and 5th floor referenced by the 86-year old male resident? If her flip flops were in the water tank, could they have been sucked into the system and become lodged in a pipe?

Anything is possible

I would just like to know if all her belongings are accounted for
I realize that may be difficult but we do know what she was wearing on video

Are they accounted for, I have not read anything about that

 

[tarabull]

Anything is possible

I would just like to know if all her belongings are accounted for
I realize that may be difficult but we do know what she was wearing on video

Are they accounted for, I have not read anything about that

Nothing has been accounted for yet Dushi, besides Elisa

 

[Joe Friday]

Anything is possible

I would just like to know if all her belongings are accounted for
I realize that may be difficult but we do know what she was wearing on video

Are they accounted for, I have not read anything about that

We know she is not wearing her glasses in the video. Pretty strange for someone to leave their room without their glasses if they are near sighted and judging by the way she bent over to look at the buttons in the elevator I think she was very near sighted.

JMO.

 

[matou]

The way she puts her face up so close to the elevator buttons makes me think she couldn't see properly (she doesn't have her glasses on or may not have contact lenses on). Could she have been drugged? Would her family know if she had schizophrenia or any mental issues (no disrespect intended).

The flooding on the fourth floor makes me think that the tank was hooked up for a series of floors including the fourth floor and that the water displacement from her body in the tank may have forced out too much water from the fixtures. The loud noise may have been the lid opening and the loud clank it could have made.

I don't think she went in that tank herself. She was found with no clothes on, IIRC. Were her clothes found?

What struck me when I saw the video of Elisa was her swimming motions with her hands, like drowning. Very sad. RIP Elisa, I hope this mystery will be solved and anyone who hurt you will be brought to justice.

 

[JoCoKSEyes]

It looked to me like she was reaching out to touch or pet someone or something that wasn't there.

 

[Eileen730]

It looked to me like she was reaching out to touch or pet someone or something that wasn't there.

I think someone was there we just cant see them.
Seems her eyesight is bad the way she has to look at the buttons.
Maybe they were holding the button down so the door wouldnt close.

 

[matou]

Why didn't the elevator close? Was it broken?

 

[Eileen730]

The way she puts her face up so close to the elevator buttons makes me think she couldn't see properly (she doesn't have her glasses on or may not have contact lenses on). Could she have been drugged? Would her family know if she had schizophrenia or any mental issues (no disrespect intended).

The flooding on the fourth floor makes me think that the tank was hooked up for a series of floors including the fourth floor and that the water displacement from her body in the tank may have forced out too much water from the fixtures. The loud noise may have been the lid opening and the loud clank it could have made.

I don't think she went in that tank herself. She was found with no clothes on, IIRC. Were her clothes found?

What struck me when I saw the video of Elisa was her swimming motions with her hands, like drowning. Very sad. RIP Elisa, I hope this mystery will be solved and anyone who hurt you will be brought to justice.

Strange isnt it, reminds me of Annie Le found in that wall.
Didnt they say the roof was locked and had an alarm?

 

[longtallcold]

A review here warns dont go out after dark or something really bad could happen to you:

https://plus.google.com/10131247416...CA#101312474169615413869/about?gl=CA&hl=en-CA

Just read through this thread - and there is a new review, from a guest who was staying there when they found Elisa.

 

[Eileen730]

Why didn't the elevator close? Was it broken?

Well she keeps pressing the buttons but it wont close.
Did you watch the video?

Maybe someone was pressing the button outside the elevator keeping it open.

 

[Breazy]

Have been following behind between work and am so saddened to catch up and find that Elisa has been found this way! IMO she definitely didn't go into that tank on her own. I pray they find the perp that did this to her and don't just conclude accident for lack of evidence. Thoughts & prayers for her family and friends!!!

:rose:

 

[matou]

Well she keeps pressing the buttons but it wont close.
Did you watch the video?

Maybe someone was pressing the button outside the elevator keeping it open.

Yes I watched it. I posted my observation right when you did about the door not closing. There could have been someone there holding it open.

Is there any other way to control an elevator other than the outside button?

 

[Eileen730]

Have been following behind between work and am so saddened to catch up and find that Elisa has beenf found this way! IMO she definitely didn't go into that tank on her own. I pray they find the perp that did this to her and don't just conclude accident for lack of evidence. Thoughts & prayers for her family and friends!!!

:rose:

How could they even say accident?

 

[Breazy]

How could they even say accident?

No way it could be IMO but the fact that it's already been mentioned as a possibility by LE makes me really worried.

 

[Eileen730]

Yes I watched it. I posted my observation right when you did about the door not closing. There could have been someone there holding it open.

Is there any other way to control an elevator other than the outside button?

Holding the door open button inside the elevator.
A key possibly outside where the buttons are?

 

[Joe Friday]

What are the chances she was suffering from a spell of Paranoid Schizophrenia?

Was she imagining someone was out in the hall and she was trying to hide from them in the elevator? Was she trying to possibly scare them away by jumping out of the elevator or possibly trying to reason with some imaginary person with her hand gestures towards the end of the video when she exited the elevator?

Did she try and hide in the water tank to maybe get away from who ever she thought might of been following her and find herself in a situation she couldn't get herself out of?


Was the lid on the water tank open or closed when the maintenance man first went to examine the tank?

The way she puts her face up so close to the elevator buttons makes me think she couldn't see properly (she doesn't have her glasses on or may not have contact lenses on). Could she have been drugged? Would her family know if she had schizophrenia or any mental issues (no disrespect intended).

The flooding on the fourth floor makes me think that the tank was hooked up for a series of floors including the fourth floor and that the water displacement from her body in the tank may have forced out too much water from the fixtures. The loud noise may have been the lid opening and the loud clank it could have made.

I don't think she went in that tank herself. She was found with no clothes on, IIRC. Were her clothes found?

What struck me when I saw the video of Elisa was her swimming motions with her hands, like drowning. Very sad. RIP Elisa, I hope this mystery will be solved and anyone who hurt you will be brought to justice.

BBM



Where was it reported that she was found with no cloths on?

JMO